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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 2 February 2005
LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Sinn Fein Members
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Leader of the House how much public money has been paid to Sinn Fein hon. Members in (a) salaries, (b) incidental expenses provision, (c) additional costs allowance, (d) staffing allowance, (e) Members' travel, (f) Members' staff travel, (g) centrally purchased stationery, (h) centrally provided computer equipment and (i) other associated costs since June 2001. [211524]
Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the details of Members' allowances for 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 which were published on 21 October last. They are available on the website www.parliament.uk. We intend to publish 2004–05 figures in the autumn of this year.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Environmental Action Fund
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list organisations in receipt of Environmental Action Fund payments in each year since 2002; which organisations she expects will be awarded grants in the period 2005–08; and what the annual funding is expected to be in each case. [211407]
Mr. Morley: Information on these grant awards will be placed in the Library of the House.
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the size of the Environmental Action Fund (a) was for 2002–05 and (b) will be in 2005–08; what funds were available to bidders in 2002–05; and what funds will be available to bidders in 2005–08. [211408]
Mr. Morley: The planned level of programme resources for the Environmental Action Fund (EAF) was £4.19 million per year for the three financial years from 2002–03 to 2004–05. In 2002–03 a total of £4.48 million was actually offered to groups, but this included some funding for groups in their third and final year of funding from a previous grant round. Groups were then required to reapply for funding at the start of each financial year. Following those applications, £4.26 million was offered to groups in 2003–04 and £4.12 million in 2004–05.
The planned level of EAF programme resources for projects relating to sustainable consumption and production is £2.25 million per year for the financial years from 2005–06 to 2007–08. Offers of grant totalling £2.25 million have been made for 2005–06, with
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provisional offers of £2.4 million for both 2006–07 and 2007–08 (reflecting the likelihood of some slippage or scaling-down of projects as they develop their work plans in the first year and then reapply for funding for the second and third years).
In addition, £1.95 million of EAF grant is being rolled over in 2005–06 to existing recipients undertaking biodiversity projects. Arrangements for supporting biodiversity and natural resource protection in 2006–07 are being considered and will be announced in the summer.
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many groups have bid for funding from the Environmental Action Fund in 2005–08; and how many of the unsuccessful bids are associated with increasing awareness and understanding of sustainable development. [211409]
Mr. Morley: We received 250 bids for funding from the Environmental Action Fund (EAF) in 2005–08. I have announced today that 36 projects were successful in the competition and are being offered grant funding.
The large majority of bids, both successful and unsuccessful, included elements of increasing awareness and understanding of sustainable development. It is not possible to quantify these elements, as the criteria for the 2005–08 grant competition sought applications for projects that would focus on moving beyond raising awareness and towards action for influencing and delivering more sustainable consumption behaviours.
Environmental Education Projects
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on funding for environmental education projects following the wind-up of the landfill tax credit scheme; and what steps she is taking to ensure that there is no shortfall in funding. [211398]
Mr. Morley: The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme was reformed in 2003, as a result of which waste projects with an education component (categories C and CC) are no longer eligible for funding. Only a small proportion of that funding was used to support projects with a formal education basis. Certain environmental educational projects remain eligible for funding under the current scheme, for example in the biodiversity category. There was no direct replacement of the LTCS funding stream to support projects that might previously have been eligible. Projects with an environmental education component are supported by the Environmental Action Fund. Several other Defra programmes contribute to more informal modes of environmental education and awareness raising, for example £30 million over three years has been allocated to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) for national and local waste awareness campaigns.
Government are striving to ensure that education for sustainable development is recognised as part of the core education agenda across all education and skills sectors. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Sustainable Development Commission have recruited a senior adviser on sustainable development to
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liaise effectively with non-governmental organisations and other Government Departments to develop partnerships and coordinate action to achieve the objectives of the Sustainable Development Action Plan. DfES, with Forum for the Future and professional organisations, has also set up the Sustainability Implementation Group to make it easier for colleges and universities to raise the profile of sustainability literacy in all curricula for post-16 professional education.
Parking Spaces
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many car parking spaces are provided for those working (a) in and (b) visiting her Department. [208927]
Alun Michael: The total number of people employed in Defra and its agencies is 13,710 1 and the number of parking spaces provided is 5,683. This number includes an apportionment of spaces on sites which are shared with other Departments where parking is available on a first come, first served" basis.
DEFENCE
Army Recruitment
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which months during 2004 Regular Army recruitment was stopped for (a) the whole Regular Army and (b) sections of the Regular Army. [211252]
Mr. Caplin: There was no cessation of recruiting to either the whole Regular Army or sections of the Regular Army in 2004.
Court Martial
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to ensure that details of service men and women who have been convicted under a court martial are passed on to the civilian police and recorded on their database. [209132]
Mr. Caplin: Each of the Services has a system in place to ensure that details of civil and some military offences, following conviction at courts martial or at summary level, are recorded on the Police National Computer. The Royal Military Police process this information on behalf of the Army and Naval Service; the RAF Provost and Security Service carries out the same function for the RAF.
Decommissioning Costs
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effect of the application of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2237/2004 of 29 December 2004, OJ L393 of volume 47 of 31 December 2004, on the manner in which the Government estimates decommissioning costs of (a) former Ministry of Defence property, (b) airfields, (c) nuclear sites and (d) sites at risk from contamination of asbestos and other substances. [211361]
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Mr. Caplin: HM Treasury requires Government Departments to account for decommissioning liabilities in accordance with the Treasury Resource Accounting Manual (RAM) which is based on UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. The RAM does not require Departments to comply with International Accounting Standards (IAS) and, in particular, IAS 37 on this subject. Instead, the RAM requires Departments to follow the UK Standard, Financial Reporting Standard 12, that was developed in parallel to IAS 37 and is substantially the same.
The Ministry of Defence continues to account for its decommissioning liabilities in accordance with requirements set by the Treasury which accord with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. Therefore, under the current requirements there will be no effect from the application of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2237/2004 of 29 December 2004, OJ L393 of Volume 47 of 31 December 2004.
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